1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to telephonic communications. It relates particularly to a holistic personalized telephone call management system for effectively dealing with a wide array of consumer concerns with today""s telephonic communications systems and services.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,202, dated Jan. 31, 1989, discloses an invention that is directed to call blocking of all calls other than incoming calls, whereby the caller keys in a telephone number that matches one of the phone numbers stored in the system. This system is designed to protect the owner against prank calls and wrong numbers. Thus, it performs a narrow service rather than providing an overall personalized call management system, i.e. a call management system that accepts all calls and still provides privacy from all types of unwanted call interruptions (e.g. marketing calls, solicitation calls, political survey calls, wrong numbers, and prank calls). This patent does not:
1) Provide for incoming emergency call situations.
2) Provide for other important call situations that are outside the parameters of the pre-coded call acceptance system.
3) Provide a hands-free automatic operating system, but rather requires the caller to input his telephone number under all conditions.
4) Provide for an automated interaction with Internet operations and incoming telephone calls.
5) Provide for a means to effectively handle any callers that may inappropriately utilize emergency functions of a given system, although emergency functions were not provided for in this patent.
6) Provide for answer machine interfaces that would allow the system to act as a xe2x80x9csmart system.xe2x80x9d
7) Provide for breaking stored codes into priority groups and assigning different time periods for incoming call acceptance.
8) Provide for automatically changing call acceptance time periods for weekends vs. weekdays.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,150, dated Feb. 7, 1995, discloses an invention to provide automatic incoming telephone call identification and disposition. Call dispositions of the system include: telephone ring, ring suppress, and connection to answering machine or fax. The system database directory includes telephone numbers for calling out and telephone codes and disposition calendars for processing several caller response options. The options for callers are controlled by a clock and calendar according to pre-selected disposition calendar information. This system begins with two sources of identification input to drive the system intelligence, that being ANI service to passively identify the caller when the caller is using a telephone within a specified ANI calling region, and is not blocking ANI performance, and secondly, requesting the caller to input identification data in other cases. These methods of collecting identification data on the caller were also identified by the inventors as being in the prior art systems, and the implication is that this patent is novel in its functionality included in the system""s capability to accommodate both home needs and home office needs. This system requires broad data input, rather than being a simple to operate, personalized home system. It also does not address in its novel applications a simple hands-off rationale to effectively address incoming calls from persons contained in the system database, but who are calling from telephones that are outside the database, for example, from telephone booths. More importantly, the system described in this patent does not disclose a means to break into the system methodology in emergency situations (e.g. hospital emergency) and command attention from the called party in real time. Additionally, this system does not provide a means to isolate a given telephone number, utilized by a calling party who has inappropriately broken into the call acceptance rationale, and have the system block completely any future call emanating from the isolated number. Also, this patent does not address the important potential interplay with users of the Internet, nor does it integrate unique interaction with call-waiting situations.
In summary, the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,150 is found wanting, in that it:
1) Does not provide for hands-free system methodology to allow an emergency caller to break into system call acceptance rationale and command attention from the called party in real time.
2) Does not provide for recording the number such an emergency call originated from.
3) Does not provide for isolating telephone numbers of callers that have inappropriately utilized the emergency call methodology, to be viewed by the system as non-acceptable future callers.
4) Does not provide for a customized, personalized call management interface with Internet usage.
5) Does not provide for the integration of call waiting with personalized system management functions.
6) Does not provide for an elegant system, whereby no participation is required of the called party other than to answer the phone when it rings, including emergency cases.
7) Does not provide for automatic tracking of the days of the week vs. the weekend days, with automatic changes in answer scheduling.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,269, dated Jun. 3, 1997, discloses an invention that primarily addresses prioritizing call waiting. Information about the identity of the calling party is obtained from the calling station. This information is processed to determine call routing treatment that allows the called party to determine whether to interrupt a call in progress to respond to the call-waiting signal. Clearly, the system does not provide a personalized telephone management system that is hands off for the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,867, dated Oct. 20, 1998, discloses an invention that utilizes interaction of the caller to determine whether to interrupt the called party who is already engaged in a telephone conversation. This system is designed to provide enhanced call waiting for both the caller and called party, and clearly does not provide a personalized telephone management system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,045, dated Mar. 10, 1998, discloses a method for avoiding undesired incoming calls, which requires the calling party to input an aural message indicating the telephone number of the calling party, followed by a predetermined key input. The called party""s telephone may then ring if the input matches a selective calling mode. This system requires significant input from the caller, which may be offensive, and clearly is not a hands off system that is customized to address all personal communications issues for the call receiver, including those highlighted functions discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,202.
It is the primary object of the present invention to supply what is lacking in the related art by providing a holistic, automated, personalized telephone call management system.
The present invention eliminates the negative, annoying aspects of telecommunication entering an individual""s private residence, while providing for all of the desired communication access and functions to support modem household activities. The system provides the means for the home owner/renter to automate and customize the receipt and management of incoming telephone service to a highly personalized methodology and performance. Indeed, the system affords a wide flexibility in automated management functions by providing the means for a person to elect to receive phone calls in a timely order of priority while maintaining a peace and quiet living environment in the home. The system was designed using a holistic approach to embrace different life styles and the need to accommodate varying communication environments and possible emergency developments/occurrences. Operational rationale and functions are as follows:
1) System provides a person with options to input telephone numbers by priority groups (e.g. family, friends, other). Priority lists of inputted telephone numbers are utilized in the system management process.
2) System provides a person with options, by priority group, to input time periods for telephone call acceptance.
3) System can automatically change time periods for call acceptance for weekdays vs. weekend days.
4) System will only ring the telephone for incoming calls emanating from numbers matching the preset priority group database and only when the time is within the preset time acceptance periods. All other incoming calls will be transferred to the smart answering message system, a recorded message response not audible to the person at home will be given, and the caller will then have to leave a message to communicate.
5) Emergency situations are provided for, whereby an incoming call needs to ring the home occupant""s phone although the stored telephone data will not provide an acceptable match to activate a ring (e.g. child has car accident and hospital is calling). The system provides for such an emergency case by prompting the caller through the smart messaging system to allow the caller to press star, which opens the system to additional methodology to ring the phone.
6) If the system receives an emergency call, it records the caller""s number, whether the call is answered or the person is not home and the call is not answered. A special indicator blinks if an emergency call has been received.
7) The system also provides for effectively dealing with any cases, whereby a caller inappropriately utilizes the star key to break into the system""s emergency methodology. The home occupant simply transfers the caller""s telephone number from the recorded emergency call data bank into a non-acceptable caller data bank, whereby any later call originating from this number will not activate the system in any manner.
8) A further important consideration is that the system allows a caller, whose personal telephone number is included in the data bank but who is calling from a phone number not included in the system""s data bank, to be able to enter the system methodology for activating a ring via the press star emergency mode.
9) The system provides interacting methodology to manage a different priority call selection when a person is using the Internet on the same telephone line. A person may expect to be on the Internet for a short period, but actually remains on the Internet for an extended period. The system protects against missing an important call back by allowing the user to store selected telephone numbers in a special Internet operations grouping, or the emergency methodology can also be activated under these conditions.
10) For those users who also elect to have call-waiting, the call-waiting beep will only be activated when the incoming call number matches one of the priority settings, otherwise the call-waiting party will be connected to the smart answer machine. Additionally, the home occupant has the option to allow only one of the caller acceptance priority groupings to activate a call waiting interruption.
11) System provides a non-blinking red light to indicate recorded non-emergency messages.
12) System can be remotely interrogated for messages.
13) System is augmented with a battery to maintain current time and day input.
14) Examples of smart, hands-off answer system functions and interaction follow:
System beginning response to an incoming call:
Smart, hands-off answer system comes on and states xe2x80x9cone moment, pleasexe2x80x9d (message #1) to the caller to prevent caller from questioning any minor time delay while the system processes the incoming call, and then system checks first to see if call is coming from a number contained in the stored data box relating to non-acceptable callers. If match with this box occurs, system states xe2x80x9cwe do not accept calls from youxe2x80x9d and shuts down. If no match with this data decision box, system then processes incoming call through the following possible cases:
Case I:
Incoming calls with ANI service that do not block their identifying number and originate from phone numbers not included in the system""s stored data:
System states, xe2x80x9cyou have reached the xxxxx residence. Please leave a message with your name and phone number; however, solicitation and marketing calls will not be returned unless responding to our invitation. If this is an emergency, please press star on your phone now (message #2).xe2x80x9d
Case II:
Emergency option is activated and 4 rings have occurred
System states, xe2x80x9cyour emergency call will be returned ASAPxe2x80x94the xxxxx""s are not home at this timexe2x80x9d (message #3).
Case III:
Incoming calls that block their identifying number (or originate from areas where the telephone service provider does not provide outgoing call identification)
System states, xe2x80x9cyou have reached the xxxxx residence. Please leave a message with your name and telephone number; however, solicitation and marketing calls will not be returned unless responding to our invitation. If this is an emergency, please key in your personal area code and telephone number or the number you are calling from, and then press star on your phonexe2x80x9d (message #4). If emergency option is activated, system first checks inputted caller ID number against the data stored in box relating to acceptable caller telephone numbers. The system rings the telephone if there is a match, if no match exists, the system checks against non-acceptable caller box. If match occurs with data stored in this box, system states xe2x80x9cwe do not accept calls from youxe2x80x9d and shuts down. If no match with the non-acceptable caller decision box, system records caller""s inputted telephone number in the emergency call received box and activates ringing of the residence phone.
NOTE: System has option key to disable the emergency access procedure for Case III callers, for any selected period, should the home occupant be confronted with a situation where a caller has become a harasser. A harasser is classified as someone who keys in erroneous phone numbers as being the caller""s phone number. Should the emergency access procedure be disabled for Case III callers, the emergency access will continue to function for callers having their phone numbers stored in the acceptable caller data box. All other callers will receive a second message from the smart answer machine that states that caller must leave an emergency message for a return call ASAP.
Case IV:
Incoming calls from telephone numbers included in system data bankxe2x80x94but party is not answering, or the call is not in the time period for acceptance:
System states, xe2x80x9cyou have reached xxxxx; sorry we are unable to answer, please leave a messagexe2x80x9d (message #5).
Case V:
If the consumer for the present invention lives in an area where ANI is not available, the consumer may input telephone numbers for local hospitals/Police/Fire/etc., in the stored acceptable caller box, or allow the emergency system to be utilized. In such telephone service areas without ANI capability, friends and family must key in their telephone numbers when calling.
15) System can manage a one telephone number capability, whereby home phones and cellular phones are tied in together to the automated personalized telephone management system.
16) System can be implemented as a home consumer product or implemented as a value-added service by a telecommunications provider, utilizing a personalized service management module located in the infrastructure of the telecommunications provider.
17) System can use Internet capabilities to allow people with Internet services to program logic for personalized service management module maintained by telecommunications provider as a value-added service.
Highlighted Advantages of the Present Invention are as Follows:
1) All marketing calls must go through voice mail and do not cause the telephone to ring.
2) All miscellaneous inquiries, e.g. solicitation calls, must go through voice mail and do not cause the telephone to ring.
3) Late night wrong number call disturbances are eliminated.
4) Incoming calls can be prioritized for activating a ring, depending on the situation for a given day or night (e.g. family only)
5) An environment of privacy and convenience is maintained exceeding an unlisted telephone number/status (i.e. the homeowner/renter does not have to call and provide a private number to all parties who are thought of as priority callers. Also, friends or family who may have lost the privacy protected number can, under the present invention, look up the number in the telephone directory. Additionally, private telephone numbers are difficult to keep out of circulation for an extended period of time.).
6) A person at home may answer incoming calls at a number of telephone extensions, and know that a call is from a party that the person wishes to talk with at the time the call is being received.
7) The homeowner/renter/user may elect subsequently to have readouts on all telephones relative to those numbers that are prioritized to ring in.
8) The homeowner/renter/user does not have to be interrupted by a ringing telephone and the necessity of checking Caller ID to see if the telephone call should be answered.
9) The present invention helps toward efforts by the government to protect the privacy of persons in the home.
10) The present invention provides means for homeowner/renter to avoid spending any time on any obscene or harassing telephone calls.
11) The present invention provides simple procedure/methodology to create a telephone ring to capture real time attention of the called party to address emergency or other important calls that occur outside of the preset personalized call management system.
12) The present invention allows use of the internet on the same telephone line without having to worry about missing emergency calls or calls from certain preset telephone numbers programmed for interaction with called party""s internet usage.
13) The present invention allows a call waiting function to be tied in with any incoming call pattern desired utilizing the call priority stored data.
14) The present invention allows the called party to transfer unwanted calling party numbers to an unacceptable caller data bank and processing routine.
15) The present invention will automatically track days of the week to match with phone ring acceptance planning.
16) For callers outside ANI service areas, callers have only to recall and key in their own phone numbers. No other code must be memorized and no other interaction is necessary.
17) The present invention helps to alleviate phone tag.
This combination of advantages is clearly unobtainable in any device or system of the known art.